Veteran Nigerian actor and comedian Chika Okpala, famously known as Chief Zebrudaya Okoroigwe Nwogbo, alias 4.30, has reflected on the remarkable journey that launched his acting career, revealing how a presidential jet once flew him and his colleagues to Lagos to entertain then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, and top military officers.
The iconic actor, whose unforgettable role in the classic television sitcom The New Masquerade made him a household name across Nigeria, shared the story during an interview in which he recounted the early days of his career and the opportunities that shaped his rise to stardom.
According to Okpala, his breakthrough came unexpectedly after a chance meeting with a friend who had been conscripted into the Nigerian Army. The friend informed him about a rehearsal session led by renowned actor and producer James Iroha, popularly known as Gringory.
“When I got there, someone told me it was meant for ‘senior’ people and asked me to sit at the back,” Okpala recalled. “I insisted that I could act.”
His determination caught the attention of James Iroha, who introduced himself as the producer of the stage play Sons and Daughters, written by Ghanaian playwright Joe De Graft. Iroha offered him a backup role, which Okpala gladly accepted simply to become part of the production.
The play proved to be an instant success.
Following its impressive performances, the then Administrator of East Central State, Dr. Ukpabi Asika, invited the cast to perform before him. Their performance earned widespread praise and soon opened even bigger doors.
The production was subsequently invited to Kaduna for the Nigerian Army Week celebration, where the cast entertained senior military officers, including then military commander Theophilus Danjuma.
“We met so many army officers, including Theophilus Danjuma, and shook hands with them,” Okpala recalled.
The acclaim surrounding the play soon reached the nation’s highest office.
Only weeks after the Kaduna performance, the cast received an invitation that would become one of the defining moments of Okpala’s career.
“We got a message that the Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, wanted to see the play because people had been talking about it,” he said.
To the amazement of the actors, a presidential aircraft was dispatched to transport the troupe to Lagos for the special performance before General Gowon and other dignitaries.
“A presidential jet came and took us to Lagos,” Okpala recounted. “We were applauded after the performance. We were so happy.”
For Okpala, the occasion carried deep emotional significance.
Having lived through the Nigerian Civil War, he described the experience of meeting Gowon as unforgettable.
“For the first time, I shook hands with the man we had fought the Biafran War with, Gowon,” he said.
According to the veteran actor, Gowon used the opportunity to preach reconciliation and national unity after watching the performance.
“He liked us so much. He said, ‘Look, we are brothers and sisters; we should forget about the past.'”
Okpala believes that the presidential endorsement marked a turning point in his career and paved the way for his eventual rise to national fame.
Following the success of Sons and Daughters, James Iroha revived his television production, In the Lighter Mood, which later evolved into The Masquerade—the programme that would eventually become The New Masquerade, one of Nigeria’s most celebrated television comedies.
Reflecting on the show’s mission, Okpala explained that beyond entertaining audiences, the cast used humour and satire to address issues affecting ordinary Nigerians.
“We started The Masquerade and covered our faces because we needed to tell the military government the truth about what they were doing to the masses,” he said.
Decades later, Chief Zebrudaya remains one of Nigeria’s most beloved comic characters, while his story offers a fascinating glimpse into the humble beginnings of a career that transformed him into a cultural icon and a legend of Nigerian television.
